The 1981 Atlanta Mayoral Election took place on October 6, 1981, with the runoff held on October 27. Mayor Maynard Jackson was ineligible to run due to term limits. The runoff featured two prominent Atlanta politicians: former Congressman and United States in United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young and State Representative Sidney Marcus. Young won in the October 27th runoff by double digits. It became the first time an African American mayor of a major city (Jackson) handed over the office to an African American successor.
Election results CandidateGeneral ElectionRunoffVotes%Votes%Andrew Young44,80840.965,79855.1Sidney Marcus42,59338.853,54944.9A. Reginald Eaves17,45715.9Warren Shulman3,6023.2John E. Thompson6180.5Mildred Glover2750.2Andree Kahlmorgan1510.1Total votes109,504100119,347100Blank/Overvotes7,607–3,080–Total ballots117,111100122,427100Registered voters/turnout191,16661.26191,16664.04Source: Fulton County Board of Elections
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